Grandma Gatewood

Grandma Gatewood

Emma Rowena Gatewood was a U.S. based extreme hiker and ultra-light hiking pioneer. She was the first woman to hike the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail solo and in one season. She also walked 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, averaging 22 miles a day.

About Grandma Gatewood in brief

Summary Grandma GatewoodEmma Rowena Gatewood was a U.S. based extreme hiker and ultra-light hiking pioneer. She was the first woman to hike the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail solo and in one season, in 1955. She also walked 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, averaging 22 miles a day. She had 24 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild living at the time of her death, from a heart attack, at 85. In 2012, she was inducted into the National Appalachian Trail Campers and Hikers Association and the Rooke Appalachian Trail Club Director Emeritus.

In 1970, at age 83, while visiting Appalachian Outfitters in Oakton, Virginia she was asked what she thought about the latest lightweight backpacking gear. Emma advised: \”Make a rain cape, and an over the shoulder sling bag, and buy a sturdy pair of Keds tennis shoes…. Stop at local groceries and pick up Vienna sausages and wild onions.. and the way those wild onions are not called ‘Ramps’ but ‘Rampamps’